Some Things Left Unsaid
by tetsuwanatomu
Summary: Astro wakes up and finds out everyone thinks he's dead, and his fathers gone missing. Now he's gone to live with O'Shay, when a new threat from his past arises. (Rated T for Language and Violence later in the story)
1. Remembrance

There sat a boy, on a ratty old couch, eyeing the remains of a backpack. The contents of the bag we're lost long ago. Two months at least, lost to the blast of a warship. The items of the bag, he didn't mind losing. The bag itself, he kept only as a memento of his time with his father. His father, along with the entirety of his friends, whom all think said boy is dead. The boy's name, Atom, he'd chosen himself, after being thrown out by his father. He wound up stranded, on the surface of an earth long-lost to pollution and scrap metal. Though he wound up in this dark, confusing place, he'd found happiness almost immediately. He'd stumbled into the trap of several vagabond children, and they soon ended up becoming friends. He hadn't said a word however, about his secret. This secret, was that he was not a boy at all. He was, and continues to be, a robot. A robot built by a grieving father to replace his son, whom he'd lost to his own invention. And that little robot boy, programmed with the memories of the scientist's own son, had been cast out of his home for worsening his father's grief.

Atom felt pathetically guilty, knowing that he hadn't told anyone that he wasn't, in fact, dead after that deadly fight with a rogue machine built to destroy. That he'd been revived nearly a week ago by an enemy-made-friend.

He closed his eyes and remembered the time he'd left, hearing his father on the phone with another scientist, and acquaintance of his, Doctor O'Shay. He'd spoken of guilt, and that he'd only reminded him of who he lost. His Tobio, his flesh and blood son. The little robot, who didn't know just what he was, didn't comprehend the situation at all, this talk of 'shutting it down' and 'the machine'. All he knew, at that very moment, is that he'd been cast out of his home by his own dad. He wished he was back in his penthouse, with his father. He wondered if his father still wanted him, like he'd said before the final battle.

With a sigh, he reopened his eyes. He didn't consider this place to be home either, which gave him an inevitable feeling of not belonging. Hammeg's makeshift home is where he currently stayed. The man who'd taken him in, and used him as a fighting machine just days later. Though, after refusing to fight a 'bot Atom himself had revived, He ended up saving the man's life after the man angered the other robot. Hammeg, after reviving the boy, had expressed almost immediately that he felt in debt to him. Soon after, they came to an understanding. Atom had stayed at this abandoned orphanage ever since. Atom grabbed the pop can sitting on the oil-stained coffee table next to him, and finished it off with a long, drawn out sip. He then crushed the can, and threw it against a wall, which sent it careening into the pile of several more crushed cans beneath it.

Hammeg, who was in the other room, jumped at the noise, and peeked around the corner of his workspace.

"Atom, What's gotten into you?" He asked, a with a concern laced voice.

"It's nothing Hammeg, I'm alright." Atom faked a smile, his eyes clearly betraying the worry shining in the robot boy's eyes. Hammeg let him be, not pushing things any further, and turned back to his work. Atom soon decided to lie down, and his eyelids became heavy. Atom fought off sleep, but the dimly lit warehouse wasn't helping. Soon after his eyelids shut, he drifted off to sleep. And then the events of the past three months came reeling through the poor boy's head.

He was back at his father's penthouse building, and an immense feeling of joy washed over the space before him. Bits and pieces of the books in front of him, were converted to beautiful models of Da Vinci's work. The papercrafts floated gently through the air, creating a surreal atmosphere. Orrin, the household robot, was enjoying the show as well, using a little fan on the end of his spindly arm to propel them back into the air. It still amazed Atom to this day, that he'd completed small-scale working models out of merely paper. As fast as the scene came, it flashed away even faster, changing to one with a completely different feeling. This was the moment he'd fallen out his window. He re-lived the feeling of his stomach dropping, and unrealistic fear sent chills running up his spine and down his arms. A yell tore from his throat, as he dropped at a breakneck speed, the cool air whipping around him, fast and freezing cold. He braced for an impact, but all he felt was himself slowing to a stop, and eventually regaining elevation. The boy's eyes widened as he removed his palms from his face, only to see columns of blue fire protruding from the bottom of his boots. Then memories of flying for the first time, flooding his mind with excitement. Though that excitement came to an abrupt stop as he remembered approaching his father's penthouse and hearing his words. "...and I…..I don't need you…..anymore," Atom felt life as he knew it shatter around his feet, and after sharing a few fleeting words with O'Shay he lept out the window of his father's penthouse and left. He ended up on a building a few miles away, staring down at his hands and confirming his suspicion. He is a robot, and there was no changing that now. Artificial tears brewed in his eyes, but he blinked them away before being assaulted by a fleet of warships. He'd ended up on the surface, surrounded by the mauled mangled faces of discarded robots. He'd been attacked by a gang of sorts, a large group of hostile robots. They wanted him to join them, to help "liberate them". Frankly, they just ended up terrifying the poor kid to the point of running until nightfall, and his feet aching along with his head. He then sat, on a pile of junk metal and robot parts until he fell asleep. He'd woken up that morning accompanied by a trashcan robot, modeled after a dog of sorts. Atom followed the robot, who'd alerted him there was someone or something in danger., He followed to help, only to be trapped. He was thrown into a pit, which held a large net by Trashcan. Heaved onto the scrap metal, and banging his face on a chestplate increasing the already pounding pain behind his eyes caused him to cringe. Then, soon after, he was released, by kids, his age. His friends, now. Zane, Widget, Sludge, and _Cora_. He immediately felt warm, even whilst dreaming when he thought about the girl. He's still glad he'd met her. His thoughts soon shifted back to when Hammeg found out he was a machine, he had tasered him, and shorted out his systems temporarily. Next thing he knew, he was running purely on program, fighting without thinking. The guilt of destroying all those robots still nagged at him, His dream skipped, to when he'd been captured by Stone's men. To when Atom had lost everything important to him again, for the second time in those three short months. He was walked over to a lab table by Stone's soldiers, O'Shay protested, and his father's only reply was

"The president is right, it's only a machine." The robot boy's response was a simple

"Bye, Doctor O'Shay."

He lied down slowly on the cold metal table, and his father opened his chest hatch. The robot boy glanced down to his father's hand, hovering over the invisible hatch, fear flashed across his eyes. But soon after, he gave a small nod to the man, and smiled weakly at his fate. His father's body was shaking and he was muttering something under his breath, that could only be heard loud enough after the core was removed.

"I'm sorry…." His father choked out sincerely, looking the robot boy in the eyes.

Immediately Astro felt numb, and was relieved of all feeling in his limbs, though he wasn't scared. The feeling in the boy's body was fading, and he could no longer move. It didn't bother him though. He'd lost everything after all. The last thing the boy remembered saying though, was an apology, despite everything he'd gone through.

"Don't be, I'm sorry I couldn't be a better Toby for you…..Dad." Astro's voice was strong and calm, but slipped away at these last few words. His head fell to the side, limp. Everything was dark, black, unmoving. He was dead, again, for who knows how long.

First his hearing came back, slowly but surely, and suddenly he was conscious, his father standing over him once again. His eyes shot open, and he looked at his father. "Dad," He whispered his words slurring "wha….." He blinked, registering his surroundings "W-w-what are you doing?" Tenma grabbed the boy's shoulders and looked at him confidently.

"You may not be Toby, but you're still my son." The man told him, and Astro smiled.

"Dad." His father pulled him into a quick hug, and released, looking at him with pride.

"Now, fly. Fly!" Tenma proclaimed as Stone's soldiers lunged towards him. Astro took off immediately, and fled. As he was flying, he heard a gunshot, and he faltered. Continuing to fly away from the lab, against his better judgement, he slowed and looked at the city behind him. Several large explosions crackled against the silence, and they were unsettlingly close to the lab he'd just left. His flashback skipped once again, to when Cora had rescued him, pulling him into Hammegs hover car and trying to get him away from the conflict. To his surprise, no one had seemed to care that he was a robot, and that gave the boy hope. Then to his father, finding him fallen in a building and begging the boy to come with him, exactly as Cora had. Astro declined, to save his friends, who had turned around to try to help the boy again.

"This is it, this is what I was created for. This…..is my destiny." The boy clenched his fists.

"I'm sorry, but this is who I am." He looked his father straight in the eyes.

"Onward and upward…..Dad." He said weakly, and at that took off, leaving his father in the remains of the building. Focused, Astro put his arms to his side, jetting towards the Peacekeeper's chest where the Red Core was contained. Without fear, he had reached the core and expertly waited for what was to come. He smiled, recalling _his own_ memories, not Toby's. And closed his eyes. He was at peace when the cores exploded. He vaguely remembered hitting the ground, _hard_. The energy in his core had almost vanished, and the only thing he could do was wait, and listen. Distantly he began to hear a familiar voice. He thought he was hearing things, his systems malfunctioning, but the voice got closer.

"Astro?" _I'm here Cora!_

"Astro? Astro!" He heard her gasp, and footsteps closing in on him. _Cora, I'm still here!_

"Oh no…" She sighed, dropping to her knees beside the boy. _Cora I'm still here I can hear you!_ His mind was screaming, trying to move, to show some sign of life.

"Oh, Astro," She whispered, sounding defeated. He soon heard more whispers start to surround him, his vision completely black. _I am still here! Dad! O'Shay! Cora, I'm still here!_ He cried to himself, knowing no one could hear.

"Who was he?"

"He saved the whole city!"

"Why would he care?" O'Shays familiar voice cut through the strangers, boldly responding to their comments.

"Because that robot had more humanity than most of us." Astro made a noise that he never thought he could make, pure anguish and sadness. He was the only one who could hear it. He'd realised that O'Shay cared for him, but he hadn't realised just how much, and hearing this, made him feel worse. That statement was the only thing he'd been needing to hear for a long while.

"Who are you?" O'Shay asked a stranger, whom the robot boy couldn't see. A female voice responded sadly.

"I'm a friend of his," Cora whispered, laced with sadness, "from the surface."

Astro heard gasps, and was once again screaming into the void of his own mind, wanting her to hear him, wanting everyone to know he was still there, if barely.

"Can you fix him?" Cora said softly, and Astro cried out to nothing again, _Cora please! I'm still here….._

"No, I'm afraid not." O'Shay sighed. "His blue core was unique, now it's died with him."

"It's not fair," Cora had cried, Astro choking on his own mental words, wishing by some miracle she could hear him.

"All he ever did was help people." The girl whispered, sniffing again. Astro could hear the pain in her voice.

 _I'm still here…_

The sounds faded out around him, and it was black once again.


	2. Phone calls

Atom woke up from his dream startled, breathing hard, his eyes wild with fear. Once he realised he was back on Hammeg's old couch, he'd calmed and reeled over the remaining memories.

He'd woken up here, Hammeg had told the boy his body was left there, covered in flowers and things. Hammeg had said he'd remembered the day he figured out that Atom, and that ZOG was powered by the same thing. He'd found ZOG and revived the boy's blue core. Atom had stayed here ever since. He was alone, though. Once Metro City discovered Hammeg had a house full of children, they were all taken to their birth homes, or the orphanage. The worst part, though, is everyone still thought he was dead. Even his father. It'd been on the news, "The amazing Robot Boy's body has disappeared from where he fell, the robot hasn't been found since." The boy's guilt was overwhelming, but he couldn't push himself to go back, as much as he missed everyone. something like this happens again? What if my dad doesn't want me anymore, like before? What will Cora think? He'd come up with so many excuses in his head that he'd stayed two weeks after his revival. In all honesty, he'd stayed on the couch most of that time, so much so that there was even more of a dent in the cushions than when they'd found it. Hammeg mostly stayed out of Atom's sight, but when he'd first been revived, the man had promised not to use the boy robot again. He'd commented that the boy had saved his life, and that he'd found a new respect for robots now that his games were outlawed. He hadn't talked to Atom much from then on.

The boy closed his eyes once again, but didn't let himself sleep. He stayed there for the rest of the day, thinking of ways he could explain his disappearance to his family.

"Hey, Hammeg? I'm going to go see my dad now." Atom had risen quite suddenly, and walked into the mechanic's garage without him noticing. The man jumped, and turned around slowly.

"Ah, so you've finally decided to do it then, kiddo?" He said calmly, looking at the boy with sympathy that Atom didn't know he was capable of.

"Y-uh….Yeah." The boy looked at his boots, and back to Hammeg. "Yeah.. I have." He straightened his posture a bit, looking at the man for a few seconds.

"Thanks…….for reviving me, you know….And letting me stay here." He said before turning to leave. Hammeg was obviously shocked that Atom was thanking him, he had tried to kill the boy and all, but didn't protest as the robot walked out of the room. He followed Atom to the door, and the boy walked sluggishly out of the building. As soon as he left, he took off right away. He boosted the fuel in his boots, and they blazed with blue fire as he rocketed towards his home, the huge city looming above. He slowed to a stop, and glanced at the ruined city below, and smiled. If things went wrong, he could always go back. He turned and soared away quickly, he figured that the news would probably want this on tape, and he should keep on the downlow. Atom was told Stone was in jail, but he was never really sure, and ruled caution was the better option, seeing the boy on the news would definitely be a reason for the unstable man to try escaping. When Atom hit the city, he decided to stop his mission in the air, and instead pursued his quest to find his father on foot.

He approached the apartment complex, and entered. He felt the eyes lock on him, but he continued walking, not paying attention the the gasps and whispers that followed him to the Elevator. He pressed his floor number, third from the top, and the elevator immediately started to ascend. He reached his floor in no time, and walked up to the door. The boy closed his eyes, and sighed, mentally preparing himself for his father's reaction. Instead, he found something different. He grabbed the handle, and pushed the door open. It's unlocked, weird. Atom said to himself looking up. The robot boy's wide eyes met his living room, completely emptied of everything, but a piece of paper lying on the floor. Atom felt as if he'd gotten knocked backwards, the air escaping his mechanical lungs in a dramatic gasp. What happened? Where is dad? He shook his head, thoughts running through his brain a mile a minute. He'd taken a step back, bracing himself against the doorframe.

His eyes focused on a single piece of paper that'd he'd seen before, lying still on the plush carpet of what used to be his home. He approached it, carefully taking one slow step after the next. The robot boy sucked in a slow breath and bent to pick up the note. It laid light on the light grey floor, like it had been dropped in a hurry. The paper felt thin in his hand, which was shaking, and he began to read what had been written:

To whom this may concern,

I've gone into hiding, don't look for me. I'm safe, and I've done so willingly because of the mistakes I have made. Orrin was given to O'Shay, whom will probably find this letter first. I expect this to make it to my other confidants. Tell them not to worry.

It was signed sincerely by none other than his father, Bill Tenma.

"Hiding?" Atom said to himself aloud, feeling guilt rush over him and shake his form. Was this because of me? Atom looked solemnly down at the letter, then back to the empty house. His only choices were to go looking for his father, go back to Hammegs, or find someone else to stay with. Someone who cares, much like a man that had been there for him both at his creation and at his shutdown. O'Shay. He'd been the only one more loving than his own father when he'd been caught, planned to be shut down by Stone. That man had validated him, and told him he had a destiny when his father cast him beside. Atom sat for a long while on the grey carpet, clearly upset, more so than before when he was at Hammegs. The boy crushed the paper note in his hand and walked out the door, shutting it lightly as he left. He reached the elevator in no time, and it had descended twice as fast. He walked back through the lobby, his face unreadable by the passerbys. Several more people stared, he didn't care. His boots clicked metallically on the concrete as he headed towards the Ministry of Science. He'd guessed that's where O'Shay was, as he didn't know where the man lived. He walked in silence, ignoring the gasps and stares of passersby citizens. He'd kept a small, positive smile on his face, dispute the circumstances, and walked standing confidently. He continued until he reached a payphone, and something registered. There was someone else Atom needed to talk to. It was on the way anyways. What's a couple of hours to talk to an old friend? The boy reached into his pocket and inserted some change into the phone, and he pressed a number he knew, one he'd seen just weeks ago. There was a dial-tone, and his hypothetical heart dropped in his chest. He was scared, but wouldn't admit it. Scared of a reaction once again. The phone clicked, and a familiar female voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Cora."


	3. Renewal

Cora didn't register the caller's voice immediately, but when she did, she couldn't believe it. The smile in his voice was unforgettable.

"A….A-Atom?" She asked, her voice quiet and strained. He cringed when he heard her tone of voice, but responded sincerely.

"Yeah, It's me."

She didn't respond for a long while, thinking to herself about the situation. Her emotions fluctuated fast, and She finally responded in her default emotion. Anger.

"Aren't you... Weren't you dead? How is this even possib- I...Is this some kind of cruel joke!?" She snapped, accusingly.

"Zane, I swear if this is you I'll rip you limb from limb." Atom sighed at this, and spoke softly and slowly into the other end hoping for the best.

"Look, Cora. It is me, Atom, and I'm running out of time on this phone. Meet me at the coffee shop on Chestnut and Third in an hour. We need to talk. Please?" He said calmly, his smile like honey dripping in his voice all too familiar to the girl on the other end.

"...Atom I-" The phone inconveniently cut off, and the automated voice on the other end was the only response.

"If you'd like to continue or make a call, please insert more coins…...If you'd like to-"

Atom hung up before it could repeat, and headed towards the the shop on the corner. He'd be early, but he didn't mind. He didn't have anywhere else to be anyways. He walked the back way, trying to avoid as many looks as possible. He walked into the coffee shop, the bell on the door announcing his entrance. Stares once again, and whispers.

"Atom? Didn't he die?"

"Is that the robot that destroyed the peacekeeper?"

"That's the robot that saved the city!" The boy cringed at the attention and was tempted to leave, but he toughed it out and sat down in the far right corner of the shop anyways. He looked up at the barista approaching his table at a steady pace. She grabbed her Holo-pad and brought up the order screen. "Hello sir may I take yo-"

Her green eyes met his brown ones and she gasped.

"You… you're!!" She gasped in surprise and he felt like shrinking into his seat.

"Yes, I am." He forced a smile, and looked back at the menu on his table.

"And since I'm a robot I probably won't be needing this….sorry." He handed her the menu politely. She took it, still holding a shocked expression on her face, and left. He held back a smile, everyone had thought he'd died, so it would be pretty shocking to see him here instead of fighting some monster. His mood lightened as he realised he would be seeing Cora, today, within the hour. He smiled, his cheeks growing warm at the thought of her, She was, is his best friend. His only friend, beside the other orphans, the rest only knew him from Toby. As did his father, and O'Shay, and Stone. Atom began to think too much again. He's heard people describe him as perfect, but in his mind, he's far from it. Sure, He's selfless and kind, but that doesn't mean all of his thoughts were. He was massively self-critical and was nearly always questioning his existence. His appearance is fake, and this people assume his emotions are too, coded and mapped into his systems. He has real emotions, though, and can get hurt as easily as a young child, he was just good at hiding it. He shook himself out of his daze, reminding himself that Cora hated self pity, and if she saw him moping around as he had been, a slap to the face is in his near future.

Atom continued to wait, it having been around a half an hour since he made the call. The customers whom stayed, had gotten used to his presence. The occasional new arrival usually gasped, awkwardly stared, or didn't care at all which didn't bother the boy in the slightest. He'd just given up, and played with a bent napkin on his table. He was clearly bored. He'd almost wished he had told her to meet him sooner, but if she was busy and couldn't make it, there wouldn't be a reason for him to be here anyways. He paused and decided to listen in to others conversations, preferably not about him. He searched for a long while, zeroing in on someone's conversation about the potential of a robot revolution. He chuckled, and noted under his breath,

"That's closer to reality than you think." The door on the bell rang, announcing another's arrival, and Atom looked up, and his soft chocolate eyes met a pair of tired icy blue ones.

His hypothetical heart stopped, not moving eyes from hers, his smile deepening by the second. She started towards him, her face unreadable. He didn't know what to think, as she approached except for one thing. What will she say? He still wasn't sure whether she'd be mad, or otherwise, but that question would be answered within a matter of minutes. The dark haired girl weaved between the tables, looking down occasionally as not to trip. Eventually, She sat down across from him and not a word was said. Cora was still unreadable, and Atom was fidgeting uncomfortably. She looked up at him, smiled, then slapped him directly across the cheek. I deserve that one, He was nearly unphased, it still stung, but being a robot had it's perks."I thought you were dead!" She started, frowning.

I thought I was too.

"Do you know how worried I- everyone was when your body disappeared we'd thought you'd been dismantled, or worse!" She said, angrily, keeping her tone quiet, not wanting the attention.

"We...we all…" Her face suddenly changed from one of rage, to one of sadness.

"I'm sorry Cora I-" He stopped himself, rephrasing what he was previously going to say.

"I… I thought I was dead too. It was wrong, I should've let you know you immediately after I was turned back on…" He shook his head, looking at her, pity shining miserably in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." She didn't respond immediately, but her demeanor changed from mad, to concerned.

"No, no. The real question is how did you get turned back on?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I saw you dead. Actually dead."

Atom nodded slowly.

"Hammeg, actually. He found ZOG, who used some of the energy of given him, to help revive the core."

"Hammeg!? Why would Hammeg help you? He tried to kill you!" Cora spluttered, completely confused at this point. Then there was a long, awkward silence between the two. Cora held a perplexed look on her face. She shook her head after another long while, her expression softening. "No, No….Nevermind, I guess it doesn't matter You being alive is better than nothing." she closed her eyes and sighed, realising that she was more relieved than mad that he was alive.

"I'm glad you're back, non-kid." A ghost of a smile danced across her face, as she played on an old memory.

"But I'm still mad at you for not telling me sooner, seeing as it's been…. " she stopped to count on her fingers, a habit he'd seen her pick up from Hammeg himself. "Two weeks and a couple days? And I'm assuming Hammeg revived you, what, the day after you 'died'... Correct?" Her eyebrow raised, accusingly.

"You're pretty close, actually." He chuckled, and looked at her once again.

"Off by…. 10.460 hours and 3." He paused, thinking back over the data. "3.46791 minutes, and 50.465 seconds on the last part, though." His eyes gleamed mischievously and he smirked.

"Show-off." She gave him a playful shove on the shoulder, signaling that they were back on good terms.

"So how's it been? W-uh, where are you living now?" Atom was stumbling through his words a bit, but genuinely curious, remembering that the girl had told him just weeks ago that she still had parents on the surface after getting a phone call from them.

"Yeah, the people at the Orphanage and stuff found my parents and I'm living back with them now. Turns out they were looking for me." Cora motioned with her hands and continued her tale.

"Anyway, they've set up my room and bought me a whole bunch of stuff. I missed 'em and all but it's still going to take a lot of getting used to, I was living parent-free for almost four years!" Cora put her hands back on the table, looking back at the robot boy.

"Anyways, you're welcome to stop by anytime." He suddenly became very awkward, and his reply came out more of a nervous jumble than an actual sentence.

"You, or uh, I mean, Your parents won't mind that I'm…. that I'm a….I'm a…. A ro-uh." He looked at his boots under the table, his face flushing, if it could even do that.

"A robot?" Cora said, nonchalantly. "Well, My mom's not the biggest fan of robots, but my Dad'll probably like you."

"That's comforting." He rolled his eyes, recomposing himself. Cora shot him a glare for his remark, but looked at him questioningly.

"Oh, yeah, how's it going with your parents?" She inquired.

"Parent, Just my Dad, and…. He's missing?" Astro tried to say this as relaxed as he could, and failed miserably.

"Missing? Like he wasn't home?" She asked innocently, and the boy shook his head. Instead of explaining, he simply handed her the he had note that was stuffed in his pocket. Cora took it gingerly and unwrinkled the paper, glancing over the words. She folded the note in half, and passed it back to Atom.

"Oh."

"Heh, yeah. Turns out I'm probably going to have to find O'Shay and stay with him." He shrugged, roughly stuffing the note back into his hoodie pocket.

"Is that the man who was there when you, uh, fought the peacekeeper?" She avoided saying 'died' for obvious reasons still worrying about her friend.

"Yeah he was, you told him you were from the surface, and you were a friend of mine, correct?" he asked, playing with the set of silverware on the small oak-wood table.

"Yeah, is that who that was?…. Wait, how do you know that? You were dead?" The boy looked at her sheepishly.

"I could hear everything."


End file.
